Eggplant Parmesan (9.3 out ouf of 10)

This is one of my staples whenever I need to make vegetarian or want comfort food – it’s the almost-perfect dish!

1. Whenever I make an Italian dish with tomato sauce, I generally start that first so it can reduce a long time if I need it to. My favorite tomato sauce of the moment is Rachel Ray’s Vodka Pasta Cream Sauce. I’ve been making it a couple years now and it’s always a hit.
2. Slice med-lg. eggplant in thick slices not quite an inch and lay them out on a paper towel – sprinkle liberally w/ salt to draw out the moisture. Let sit 15-20 min., but not long enough for them to turn brown. In the meantime, set up your breading station with pie pans of flour, egg/milk wash, and Italian bread crumbs. I sprinkled Greek seasoning and garlic powder in the flour. After the eggplant has released its moisture, rinse the salt off and pat dry. Then bread the eggplant slices in flour, egg/milk wash, and bread crumbs. Heat the oven to 385° and heat about a 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet (I used peanut). Fry the eggplant in the oil until slightly browned and place on a cookie sheet. Place a slice of fresh mozzarella on each eggplant slice and place in oven until mozz. has started to bubble and brown a little bit.
3. The choices for pasta to accompany the eggplant are varied, but my favorite is either cheese or spinach tortellini. And I place then in the boiling water when the eggplant’s time in the oven is half over.
4. Plate and eat and love!

Also, the eggplant reheats well, especially in the oven (microwave makes it soggy). This is a hit with everyone, but can be fairly time consuming to make, so start a good time in advance of the designated eating time. Great with white wine (I tried Mike Ditka’s Pinot Grigio and really liked it!)

Ground Beef Kabob (8.488 out of 10)

If you like have kabobs from Mediterranean restaurants as we do, you’ll like this recipe. Brendan prefers that I use 80/20 or 70/30 ground beef, but that’s not realistic for a healthy lifestyle – point being that in a restaurant, you probably get the really fatty beef, so it might taste better than mine because I use the 93/7 beef.

1. I combined ground sirloin and ground lamb, finely diced onion, finely diced garlic and this Sadaf Ground Kabob Seasoning, which I purchased at the Phoenicia Grocery Store on Westheimer in Houston. Now, that I’m back home in Fort Worth, I guess I’ll order it online or take it over to Central Market and ask if they’ll start ordering it. I also added some garlic and onion powder and let the mixture come a bit closer to room temperature before placing the mixture on skewers in the shape of a sausage. I then grilled the kabobs until they had nice grill marks on them and were firm and then pulled them off and let them rest.
2. I then took fresh mozzarella and sliced it thinly, then spread the slices on a really good flour tortilla (not the yucky, typical super market flour tortilla) and placed it in a microwave until the cheese was melted. Next time, I’ll place it in the oven until the cheese is melted.
3. I placed the kabob (having taken it off the skewer) in the tortilla and served with mashed avocado. Would be good with hummus or baba ganoush as well.

The kabobs reheated really well and can be served a myriad of ways. Good for kids, too.

Tex-Mex Calzone (8.005 out of 10)

I love enchiladas and chimichangas, but chimichangas take soooo much effort and I decided to cut the process basically in half by using a Pillsbury Pizza Crust instead of flour tortillas that are then deep-fried. I have to admit, I miss the crunch of the fried tortilla and will always prefer chimichangas, but this is a nice way to make a good Tex-Mex dinner more quickly.

1. I use different seasoning and marinades for the chicken breasts and this time, I tried out McCormick’s Chipotle Pepper Marinade. I didn’t marinate the chicken, but rather used the marinade as seasonings and sprinkled the chicken breasts with the seasoning before putting the breasts on the grill. After the breasts had good grill marks, I take them off the grill and let them rest before shredding.
2. In a skillet, I sauté chopped onion and a chopped caribe pepper until they started to soften. Then, I added diced garlic and a can of Del Monte Mexican Stewed Tomatoes and let that all reduce and reduce and reduce. I also broke up the tomatoes on the skillet. Afterwards, I placed the tomato mixture on a bowl and sautéed frozen home fries in the same skillet.
3. I placed the pizza crust (rectangular) on a cooking sheet in a cut in half in order to make two calzones. On on half of a pizza rectangle, I layered the tomato mixture, shredded pepper jack cheese, shredded chicken, cooked home fries, shredded pepper jack cheese. Then I pulled the other half of the pizza crust over to make an envelope and sealed the edges. I then poked holes in the top layer of the dough, spread an egg wash across the top and sprinkled shredded cheddar jack cheese on top and then placed in the oven.

I served this with queso, guacamole, pico de gallo and sour cream. Also, I drank Cusqueno Peruvian beer while preparing the dish and while eating it and that worked out well! The dish reheated okay the next day, but is certainly better the first time around. And I remembered to take pics!!

Migas (8.123 out of 10)

Migas are a staple to the twenty-something partier on those hungover weekend morning in Austin, TX. I’ve had migas a million times (had many a hangover morning…) but have never made them myself until last night, when I wasn’t in the mood to go to the store and am still in comfort mood mode.

Migas is a Tex-Mex egg/tortilla flavorful breakfast dish. I had it for dinner, though.

1. Sauté small cubed potatoes (I keep the frozen kind on hand) until browned and crispy. Throw in corn tortillas cut into squares, as well as chopped white onions and sauté until tortillas are soft and almost brown.
2. While browning potatoes and tortillas, in a bowl, whip diced onions, salsa or pico de gallo, grated cheese, garlic powder, sour cream and eggs.
3. Pour egg mixture into skillet with potatoes and scramble.
4. Serve with refried beans and warmed tortillas.

I stick the tortillas in the microwave with grated cheese on them. So good. And this recipe reheats well, so you can make this the night before – which is good if you workout in the morning and then need to make a quick breakfast.

!!! I keep forgetting to take pictures – I’m going to remember, though, I promise!

FYI – Artificial Sweeteners May Cause More Weight Gain Than Sugar

Read the article here.

Melty Avocado Half (8.655 out of 10)

My brother wanted me to put some veggie sides up here for him. And I know how hard it is to discover new and interesting sides, so I’ll try to keep posting the ones I’ve discovered.

I serve this side with Tex-Mex food, especially with a fajita-marinated, grilled chicken breast. I’ll put that marinade up soon.

1. Peel avocados, cut in half, remove the seed. Make a slight slice on the round side of the avocado so it will sit flat without tipping over. Place avocado halves on a cookie sheet.
2. Top the avocado half with diced red onion, tomatoes, and whatever peppers you like. Then top with grated pepper jack cheese and drizzle with a little olive oil.
3. Put the cookie sheet in the oven at 375° and take out when cheese is nice and melty.

A wonderful recipe that Brendan goes ape over. It’s a good non-carb side dish for those avoiding starches and carbs. Plus, avocado is sooooo good for your good cholesterol. I put it on everything.

This is not great for leftovers – avocados tend not to store well outside of the peel.

Mmmm. Meatball Subs (9.7 out of 10)

I’ve been out of town in the past week and am really in the mood for yummy comfort food. So, Tues. night, I made my favorite meatball subs that I really only have 2 or 3 times a year b/c I try to stay away from red meat… Why does so much comfort food require red meat?? I love it.I developed my meatball recipe after reviewing a number of different recipes, but settled on the skeleton Tyler Florence set up in this episode of his show. My meatballs are never the same and I play it by ear with whatever seasonings and things I have around but I always fry them and always place them in the oven afterward topped with mozzarella.

1. Caramelize a lot of chopped onions in a skillet and place half in a bowl that will be used to mix the meatballs. Add diced onions and diced garlic to the bowl. Then add: garlic powder, onion powder, Greek seasoning or meatloaf seasoning, dried oregano, pepper, grated or shredded parm. cheese, and 1 egg per lb. of meat you use. Mix all together.
2. Then add the meat to the bowl. I usually combine ground beef or chuck and ground pork. Depending on the size of meatball you make (mine are a little bigger than golf balls), 1 lb of meat makes four normal size subs. Form the meatballs and roll them in Italian bread crumbs and place on a plate.
3. Heat a 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet and fry brown the outsides of the meatballs, which keeps the juices and flavor in while they’re in the oven. The meatballs could break apart a bit during this step and that’s cool, they’ll still taste fantastic.
4. Place the meatballs in an oven-proof dish, topped with a cube or slice or grated mozzarella cheese and place in the oven at 375° until the cheese is all melty and a little golden. When they are finished, let them sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

For the topping:

1. I do this before I make the meatballs so that it can cook and reduce while the meatball making is going on. I take that skillet with the rest of the caramelized onions and add some more olive oil, a bit of diced garlic and then chopped fresh tomatoes (usually roma). Then I diced a bunch of sweet peppers from a jar and add those and some juice and season it and let it cook down. Too awesome.

For the sub:

1. I buy those uncut hoagie rolls and cut a trench in them and rip out a lot of the bread in it so all the filling will sit nicely upright tucked in the bread as this makes it easier to eat. Then I place long slices of mozz. cheese in the trench and put the bread in the oven. Yes, this is a lot of cheese, but it’s COMFORT food, so I’m down with the cheese.
2. After the bread is out, I coat the bottom of the trench in the bread with the topping and then top that with meatballs. Another yummy thing to do is make a little parm/ranch salad and put that on the sandwich as well before you add the meatballs. This can make the sandwich too loaded, though and hard to eat, but it’s really good.

The leftovers of this dish are just as good and the meatballs can obviously be used in many other Italian-style dishes. I just loooovvvve meatball subs. They’re a gift.

Beef short rib tagine with honey-glazed butternut squash (7.889 on a scale of 10)

Bon Apetít Cookbook, pg. 287

This recipe is VERY rich and I really didn’t know what to expect, but it sounded too interested to pass up and turned out very well in the end. It is heavy on the sweet side and we didn’t eat it with any sides because I really could not fathom in my head how this would turn out. Maybe some couscous next time.

• 5T olive oil
• 1lb onions, chopped
• 16 3-4 in. meaty beef short ribs , fat at membrane trimmed (I used 8 boneless)
• 3 T all-purpose flour
• 4C low-salt chicken broth
• 1 1/2C dry red wine
• 1C prune juice
• 1T tomato paste
• 1/2 t grnd. cumin
• 1/2 t grnd. allspice
• 1/2 t grnd. ginger
• 1/2 t grnd. cinnamon
• 2 oz. pitted dates, diced
• 2 oz. dried pears, diced
• 1 T honey

Squash

• 1/4C olive oil
• 2 med. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
• 1/4 C honey
• Fresh parsley sprigs

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat 3T oil in heavy large oven-proof pot over med-high heat. Add onions and sauté until brown, about 20 min. Using slotted spoon, transfer onions to large bowl. Sprinkle short ribs w/ s&p. Add 1 T oil to same pot. Add 8 short ribs and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer ribs to bowl with onions Add remaining 1 T oil to pot. Add remaining 8 ribs and brown on all sides, about 10 min. Transfer ribs to same bowl.
2. Whisk flour into drippings in pot. Whisk in 2 C broth. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Mix in remaining 2 C broth, wine, prune juice, tomato paste, and spices. Return ribs to pot, arranging close together on sides in single layer if possible. Add dates and pears, then onions and accumulated juices.
3. Bring to a boil. Cover pot and transfer to oven; bake until ribs are tender, about 1 hour and 45 min.
4. Using tongs, tranfer ribs to large bowl. Strain cooking liquid into medium bowl, pressing on solids in strainer to release as much liquid as possible. Tilt bowl and spoon off fat from surface. Return liquid to pot. Add 1 T honey; boil until sauce is reduced to 3 C an thick enough to coat spoon, about 12 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return ribs to pot, spooning sauce over to coat. (Short ribs can be made 2 days ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold; then cover and keep chilled)
5. FOR SQUASH: Heat oil in h eavy large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add squash; cover and cook until squash is just tender and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 12 min. Add 1/4 C honey; toss until squahs is glazed, season to taste w/ s&p.

The recipe makes the house smell sooooooo good and I like that idea of coming home after school or work to the house smelling wonderful. I saw that on TV somewhere. I omitted the dates and pears because I saw them as an unnecessary expenditure and I’m not a huge fruit person. I also have little experience making butternut squash, so that took me a bit longer to cook. In fact, the whole thing took a lot longer to make than I imagined. Anyway, I thought the honeyed butternut squash tasted just like sweet potatoes. I didn’t tell Brendan though, because he’s convinced he doesn’t like sweet potatoes, but he really liked the honeyed-squash. And, fyi, prune juice and soda water together taste nothing like Dr. Pepper!!

Lee – I didn’t get to take a picture because I was hurrying like mofo as this was the night of the State of the Union and I wanted to watch it.

Beef Stroganoff (8.392 on a scale of 10)

Bon Apetít Cookbook, pg. 288

I didn’t cook last night because Brendan and I went to Uncle Julio’s and I got to have a swirl margarita with a plastic pink flamingo and it was awesome. The chicken enchiladas with verde sauce needs a little help. The tomatillos aren’t cooked enough I think.

ANYWAY, I made this recipe a few weeks back and it was awesome and my mom asked for it. I hate to go against the dish’s actual title, but I think I’m going to use grilled, shredded chicken next time.

• 1 2 1/2 lb. well-trimmed beef tenderloin roast, cut into 2×1x1/2 in. strips (I used stew meat. Do you know how expensive beef tenderloin is??)
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 6 T butter, room temp.
• 1/4 C finely chopped shallots (I used an onion)
• 1lb mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 1 C beef broth
• 2 T Cognac or brandy (I used brandy cause that’s what we had)
• 3/4 C crème fraiche or whipping cream (I used whipping cream cause that’s what I had)
• 1 T Dijon mustard (mustard is one of my favorite words in French. It’s pronounced “mootarhdd.” funny)
• 1 T chopped fresh dill (didn’t have any)
• 12 oz. wide egg noodles
• 1 T Hungarian sweet paprika

1. Sprinkle meat with s&p. heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat until very hot. Working in batches, add meat in single layer and cook just until brown, about 1 minute per side. Using tongs, transfer meat to rimmed baking sheet.
2. Melt 2 T butter in same skillet over medium high heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender, scraping up any browned bits, about 2 min. Add mushrooms. Sprinkle with pepper and sauté until mushrooms brown and juices evaporate, about 12 min. Add broth, then Brandy. Simmer until sauce thickens and just coats mushrooms, stirring occasionally, about 14 min. Stir in whipping cream and mustard. Add meat and any accumulated juices from cooking sheet. Simmer over med-low heat until meat is heated through but still med.-rare, about 2 min. Stir in chopped dill. Season to taste w/ s&p.
3. MEANWHILE, cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Transfer hot noodles to bowl. Add remaining 4 T butter and toss to coat. Season to taste with s&p. Divide noodles among plates. Top w/ beef and sauce. Sprinkle generously with paprika.

I pretty much did this recipe as it says all the way through – though I didn’t use as much butter and added olive oil. I’m sure the recipe would have been out of this world if I’d used beef tenderloin, but we only cook that in this house on a special occasion. Like if Brendan won the powerball lottery or something. But, I think you could substitute plenty of other meats and add veggies and it would hold up. I loved it. As a leftover dish, I’m not so sure about it. The sauce doesn’t keep it’s umph, but it’s still good.

Since I made this before starting the blog, no pics. BUT the next time I make it, I’ll post one.

Beer-Cheddar Soup (7.164 on a scale of 10)

Cooking Light – Nov. 2007, pg. 264

This recipe has the potential to be awesome with a little more tweaking. Still, it was really good – Brendan kept coming over and eating out of the pot before it was finished like the Neanderthal heathen he is.

Avoid using dark beer, which could make the soup too bitter.  (I do not agree with this statement as there are plenty – PLENTY – of sweeter darker beers, especially lagers that this soup can handle. I used Negra Modelo which has great balance for cooking in chilis and soups. This recipe writer must not know their beers or at least cooking with beer. I cook with beer all the time as anyone who knows me would expect. chuckle)

• 10 oz sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• cooking spray
• 2 C chopped onion
• 2 garlic clove, minced (I used 4 or 5)
• 4 C chicken broth
• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 2 C reduced-fat milk
• 1 1/4 C shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon bl. pepper
• 1/4 C chopped fresh chives

1. Preheat oven to 450°
2. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a jelly0roll pan; coat bread cubes with cooking spray. Bake for 10 min. or until toasted. Set aside.
3. Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 min. Stir in beer; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 min. or until onion is very tender.
4. Place beer mixture and 1 C broth in a blender. remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Return pureed mixture to pan. Stir in remaining 3 cups broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
5. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1 C milk, stirring witha  whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and remaining 1 C mil to pan; cook 12 min. or until slightly thickened. Remove pan from heat. Gradually add cheese, stirring until smooth. Stir in pepper. Serve with bread cubes and chives. Yield: 12 servings.

This recipe is very versatile. You could throw broccoli or spinach or potatoes or anything in and serve it in little sourdough bread bowls and be cute. I’m going to experiment with the leftovers and add various veggies and I bet it’ll be even better. I did end up adding more cheese for more flavor – and salt, garlic pwdr and more pepper. Also, I added little chopped onions at the end as I do with everything. Oh – I cut out all of step 4 and used an immersion blender – hell if I’m going to go to the effort of pouring everything into a blender and back into a pot, exponentially increasing the busi-ness and dish-washing of this recipe.

Brendan really enjoyed this with slices of un-toasted sourdough bread because he doesn’t like really crunchy bread. What a freak.  

And here’s the pic – just for you, Leroy, just for you!

 

West Indian Vegetable Curry (3.324 on a scale of 10)

Cooking Light - Oct. 2007, pg. 194

There are probably a couple of reasons we didn’t like this recipe. Firstly, we are always looking for Indian recipes that are as good as our favorite restaurant and, admittedly, we are probably on crack for trying this. But that’s what restaurants want you to believe, that we home cooks can never achieve the magnificence that they achieve. And that is crap. This recipe, however, didn’t put me any closer to restaurant-level Indian food, though. Secondly, we like FLAVOR. This recipe didn’t have much flavor. And I added plenty of seasonings! Lots! I did change the recipe, though, but I don’t think those changes made it worse… You can judge for yourself.

• 1 T olive oil
• Cooking spray
• 1C chopped yellow onion
• 1C red bell pepper
• 1/4C chopped green onions
• 1T chopped fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 t curry
• 1 t kosher salt
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2C organic veg. broth
• 1 1/3C slices carrot
• 1 habanero pepper
• 3C cubed peeled calabaza or hubbard squash
• 1 1/2C chpped plum tomato
• 2 med. zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

1. Heat oil in a large dutch oven coated with cooking spray over med.-high heat. Add yellow onion and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; sauté 5 min. or until vegetables are tender. Add 1 cup broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add remaining 1 C broth and carrot; sauté min.
2. Pierce habanero with a fork; add to pan. Stir in squash, tomato, and zucchini; birng to a boil. REduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Discard habarnero; simmer 15 min. or until veggies are tender. Serves 7.

Firstly, I moved the carrots to the top group of veggies that cooked first and added white potatoes and leeks and a yellow bell pepper. Also, I forgot to buy the habanero, so that was left out. And Central Market didn’t have any plum tomatoes, so I used Roma and an extra cup of veggie broth, which tends to be sweeter than chicken and maybe that was a mistake… I plopped in more curry powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder at the end, but to no avail.

I served it with the cucumber, yogurt, avocado, garl. pwder, onion powder, salt and pepper salad on the side and some organic ritz-like crackers.

Brendan really wasn’t a fan of this, but I made him eat it anyway because there was no way in hell I was going to fix it something differently. As far as the leftovers go, I’m going to add some ground beef or pork and make him help me finish it off. It certainly wasn’t inedible and it’s a good veggie recipe for people who don’t require as much taste of their food as the cajuns do. I could eat it again, but only when I’m really looking to eat healthfully and lose weight or something.

Keep it in the Cupboard

Okay. I’m going to make a list of all the things I keep on hand. All of yous out there probably have some really good stuff I missed and I’d love to see your additions because I’m learning more all the time. These ingredients will allow you to make almost any recipe you come across without having to buy all the odds and ends. Just the main ingredients.

SPICES

• Kosher salt & Sea Salt
• Fresh black pepper in the mill (you can control the size of the pepper granules or whatever you call them)
• Garlic powder (not to be confused with garlic salt)
• Onion Powder (not to be confused with onion flakes)
• Celery salt
• Paprika
• Seasoned salt (I used TexJoy, some people use Tony Chachere’s or Lawry’s or other ones…)
• Greek seasoning (I love Nick’s Greek Seasoning, but haven’t been able to find it around, so I’m using Cavender’s)
• Cumin
• Ground Coriander
• All Spice
• Nutmeg
• Ginger
• Cinnamon
• White pepper
• Poultry seasoning
• Curry
• Garam Masala
• Sesame seeds (not a spice, but found on the same grocery aisle)
• Ground mustard
• Chili powder (I prefer Mexene. I also keep chipotle chili powder on hand)
• Cayenne pepper

BAKING STUFF

• Flour (rice flour is good for certain recipes)
• White sugar
• Brown sugar
• Stevia (this is a natural sweetener. very iffy among people. my mom doesn’t like the aftertaste, i have it every morning in my tea)
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Cornstarch
• Chocolate chips (i keep in the freezer and eat one if i’m have a chocolate craving)

PASTA (all these you can use in a pinch, unless you must have them fresh and I get that)

• Rigatoni
• Spiral
• Bow-tie
• Lasagna
• Gnocchi
• Spaghetti
• Angel hair
• Fettucini

CANNED GOODS

• Refried beans (i go for vegetarian)
• Cannellini beans
• Kidney beans (lt and dk red
• Pinto beans
• Black beans
• Chickpeas
• Lentils (they come in a bag)
• Navy beans
• Chicken broth
• Beef broth
• Vegetable broth
• Tuna in the packet, not can (in water AND in sunflower oil – yum)
• Salmon in the packet not can
• Diced tomatoes regular
• Diced tomatoes Chili flavor
• Stewed tomatoes Mexican flavor
• Tomato paste
• Crushed tomatoes

IN THE FRIDGE

• Butter (European unsalted is my favorite)
• SmartBalance (instead of country crock)
• Mayo (I don’t use fat-free, that stuff is gross)
• Plain yogurt
• Sour cream
• Salad dressing
• Mustard (spicy brown, dijon, course-grained and yellow)
• Olives (kalamata, pimento-stuffed green)
• Sweet peppers
• Peppercinis
• Jar of roasted or unroasted red bell pepper
• Tahini
• Cheeses (mozz, parm, sharp cheddar, pepper jack, cream cheese)
• Eggs (I get cage-free)
• Jalapeno Jam
• Strawberry preserves
• BBQ sauce
• Buffalo wing sauce

FREEZER

• Frz. spinach
• Frz. peas
• Frz. corn
• Frz. diced potatoes

OTHER

• Peanut Butter
• Nutella (up to you, but if you have kids, the will ALWAYS ask for this)
• Peanuts
• Tea
• Coffee
• Hot Chocolate
• Bread
• Tortilla chips
• Ritz-like crackers or saltines

I have to quit for now because, yes, it’s dinnertime – but I’ll think of some more.

Basic Marinara (9.67 on a scale of 10)

This is the recipe I use for any dish calling for marinara. It really doesn’t take that long to make – I never buy marinara in a jar anymore now that I’ve learned how easy and delicious it is to make it on the fly. You can also make it ahead and keep it in the fridge for a couple of weeks. For gifts, you can can the marinara and pair it with some yummy pasta in a cute package – which sounds cheesy, but people tend to be really appreciative not to have to plan a meal. After you taste this, you’ll be able to taste all the sugar in the store-bought marinara. I won’t go back. NEVER!!!

• Olive oil (enough to sauté onions)
• 1 32. oz can crushed tomatoes. Not diced. Not whole. Not stewed. CRUSHED.
• 1 onion, chopped (I generally use sweet yellow onion for this, but that’s up to you)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, diced (in any recipe, how much garlic you use is always up to you. we love garlic)
• 1 T garlic powder
• 1 T onion powder
• S&P to season
• 1/2 C red wine (optional)
• 1/2 – 1 C chicken stock (as much as you want)
• 1 little can tomato past (depending on how thick you want the marina and how much time you have)
• Fresh oregano and basil, chopped (optional)

1. Sauté the onions in the oil in a large skillet. You can use a big pot or saucepan if you are making a lot, but if you’re making just enough for that night, using a skillet will help reduce the sauce faster. Stir it often enough not to let it burn, though. Toss in the garlic 30 seconds to a minute before you add the crushed tomatoes. After the garlic, put in the powders and whatever seasonings you want and allow them to heat up a bit themselves as it will deepen their flavor.
2. Add the crushed tomatoes, wine and chicken stock.
3. Cover the skillet with one of those screen things so the sauce can reduce, but your stove doesn’t look like a splattered crime scene afterward. Reduce until you get the consistency you want (we like ours really thick, not too saucy). If you don’t have a lot of time to allow the sauce to reduce, throw in some tomato paste and that’ll help the process. Add the basil and oregano at the end if you’re using fresh herbs. If you use dried herbs, add them toward the beginning of the cooking process so they can soften. Sometimes I could drink this stuff.

This is a great dipping for calzones or base for a pizza – the possibilities are endless! PLUS, this doesn’t have all the preservatives of the store-bought marinara. My mom adds sugar, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Heck, she adds sugar to the store-bought stuff, too! Yet, I wasn’t allowed to chew Hubba Bubba gum when I was kid because of the sugar. I chew it whenever I want now, so HA, mom! HA!

Chicken and Asparagus in White Wine – and spaghetti squash (7.75 on a scale of 10)

Cooking Light - Oct. 2007, pg. 196

**I substituted the asparagus with sliced fingerling potatoes

• 4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/4 t freshly ground bl. pepper
• 2 T butter
• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C dry white wine
• 1/2 C fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb. asparagus spears, trimmed
• 2 T fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 T fresh lemon juice

1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken breasts evenly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over med-high heat. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add wine, broth, and garlic to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 2 min. Add asparagus; cover and cook 3 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and juice. Serve asparagus and sauce with chicken. Serves 4.

This was wayyyyy yummy, but I wasn’t in the mood for asparagus (i go through phases with that one) and have been obsessed with fingerling potatoes – even the purple ones – lately. I followed the recipe all the way through, but added sliced fing. potatoes instead of asparagus. Well, the potatoes take way longer to cook than asparagus, so you have to keep adding chick. broth to make sure the sauce has the thick consistency you want without evaporating all together. With about a minute left, I threw in some diced onions and garlic (we love fresh diced onion and add it to a lot of things for that crunch. we also brush our teeth very well afterward. others shouldn’t have to suffer for your choices, you know?) I served the potatoes and sauce over the chicken.

For the side dish, I can thank my friends Sarah and Karrie for telling me how good spaghetti squash is. Yes, yes, I’m a foodie or whatever, but this one had really slipped by me. Though I’ve never been a squash person, I’m changing my ways now that I’m 30 and near-decrepit. So, I just split the squash in half, place it skin side down in a pot of water, brought it to a boil and left it there for 30 minutes. Then, I let the halves cool, de-seeded the squash, and shredded it with a fork. I placed the squash into a skillet with a little butter, S&P, let it warm up and then tossed in a bit of the diced onion I had for the chicken (told you we liked it).

Brendan didn’t prefer the sweet white-wine gravy, but he doesn’t like sweet in his meals. I love white-wine sauces, but I tend to love French dishes. Brendan would eat it again, though. And he will. Because I do all the meal planning in this house. He orders all the pizza

Colorful Vegetable Lasagna (8.593 on a scale of 10)

Cooking Light – Oct. 2007, pg. 173

**Not typed exactly as the magazine

• Cooking spray
• 1 C chopped red bell pepper
  
• 1 C chopped yellow bell pepper
• 4 med. zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 2 (8 oz.) packages presliced cremini mushrooms
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 C (8 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 1/2 C fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 C (2 oz.) grated fresh parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 lg. egg
• 5 C basic Marinara
• 12 precooked lasagna noodles

1. Preheat oven to 35o
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add bell peppers, onion, zucchini, and mushrooms; sauté 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and mushroom liquid evaporates. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds.
   
3. Combine 1 1/2 C mozzarella, ricotta, 1/4 parm. and egg, stirring well.
4. Spread 1 C marinara over bottom of 13×9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; top with 3 noodles. Spoon 1 C marinara evenly over noodles. Top evenly with one-third of ricotta mixture and one-third of vegetable mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with noodles. Top w/ remaining 1 C marinara. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 C mozzarella and remaining 1/4 parm. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 min. or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes. Serves 8.

I loved this recipe! I don’t like a lot of lasagnas because they are sooooo heavy and make you feel like a whale.

First of all, I make my own marinara and I’ll write that recipe out soon. Secondly, I don’t necessarily adhere to measurements, I’m much more of an eyeball measurer than someone who gets out all the various and sundry cups and spoons. Plus, there’s only Brendan (my squeeze) and me, so I’m not going to make lasagna for 8. If you really like leftovers, go for it. We’re not huge leftover fans, so I only make enough for one more meal.

Secondly, no mushrooms. Brendan doesn’t like them and I’m not a big fan of slimy canned mushrooms anyway. Also, I added garlic powder and frozen spinach to the egg-cheese mixture AND I used fresh lasagna noodles. If you can find them, I really recommend them because the regular ones are so rubbery and thick. Ugh. I bought mine at Central Market, but they might have them at Whole Foods. I only repeat the layers once because, in my humble carb-limiting opinion, repeating twice makes for alotta noodle. Too much noodle, really. I flavored the veggies with Cavender’s Greek Seasoning (no msg), garlic and onion powders, salt and pepper.

Then, I only baked it for 25 minutes uncovered because I made enough for 4 and I was under time constraints. I raised the temp to 375 halfway through baking.

Yes, Brendan asked for more. I had seconds myself and I NEVER have seconds. Unless you want to count the extra spoonfuls I sneak when putting the food away…

Cooking Is Not Slavery

What did I make for dinner last night you ask? Okay, maybe you didn’t ask – but if you know me, we’ve more than likely had a slew of conversations about some dish or recipe that made us say, “Hellsyeah!” and do the porn-music sound effect with a little grooving to match. (my boyfriend ignores me when i enter this self-congratulatory celebration) Why? Because it’s about pleasure, people, PLEASURE! There are so many hours in so many days to be good, so sometimes we have to be bad. Very bad.

Food is my playpen. My journey is to find the most pleasure in the fewest calories. Taste level is the primary factor (i’m cajun, fer pete’s sake), however, nutrition cannot be left out of the equation. Anyone can cook the hell out of a piece of beef (including me, if i do say so myself and i do say so) – but making a vegetarian meal sing is the best reward. That, and hearing your beloved ask for more. (then you have to tell them no and remind them we’re trying to practice “portion control”)

The majority of recipes I cook are first-timers and I’m always looking for a challenge – always on the lookout for a healthy recipe that goes in the “Favorites” file . As an American, I’m naturally a meat-oriented eater and can do origami with a pork loin and make it look like the Mona Lisa. To expand our collective culinary knowledge beyond Better Homes and Gardens and Betty Crocker, we have to share our winning recipes and go beyond meatandpotatoes. So, let’s do it.

I’ll start. Here are recipes I’ve made recently, with my tweaks and reviews. I’ll include thoughts, tips, hints and welcome them from any of you. If we non-professional, in-home chefs can share our know-how, we can kick ass in front of the stove and experience immediate gratification better than… well, I’m not going to say sex, but you know what I mean!

So, open those bottles of wine and pour a glass or (primarily in my case) pop the top off a beer, don those aprons, get out your best chef’s knife and let’s put the fear of god into any onion, garlic and cotton-pickin tomato within reach!